What is Brewbound Live?

A diverse group of thought leaders and entrepreneurs who gather for 2 days to discuss trends, challenges, and the future of the brewing industry.

Brewbound Live Past Sponsors

Pitch Slam: Your Brand in the Spotlight

Familiar with the Startup Brewery Challenge? We’ve reinvented the contest to include beer, cider, alcoholic kombucha, hard water and more. Brewbound Pitch Slam takes the hottest up-and-coming brands in the industry and gives them awareness, feedback, education and a chance at the title and a prize.

Brewbound Past Speakers

Cheryl Collins

CEO, Ninkasi Brewing Company

Cheryl Collins

CEO, Ninkasi Brewing Company

As the CEO of Ninkasi Brewing Company, Cheryl Collins knows a few things about crafting a strong company culture in an ever-growing and evolving industry. Based right here in Eugene, Collins’ expertise in organizational leadership and development drives Ninkasi Brewing to be a nationally-competitive craft beer brand and a top state employer receiving recognitions like Best Places to Work (OUTSIDE) and 100 Best Places to Work in Oregon (Oregon Business Magazine). Collins’ work at Ninkasi has included spearheading employee recruitment, training and onboarding programs, implementing Continuous Improvement strategies and best practices across brewery operations, fostering teambuilding activities to nurture organizational culture, implementing safety protocols and initiatives, facilitating leadership development, contributing to employer branding, and helping oversee the leadership and implementation of company strategies. Collins was recently honored as Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers of 2017.

Andy Thomas

CEO, Craft Brew Alliance

Andy Thomas

CEO, Craft Brew Alliance

Andy Thomas took the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) in January, 2014, after serving as President of Commercial Operations for the craft brewing company since 2011. Andy brings more than two decades of leadership experience in consumer packaged goods and the beer and beverage industries to his role as CEO for CBA. He spent 12 years, from 1995 to 2007, at Heineken, working with brewers and beers in more than 55 countries across four continents, including serving as president & CEO of Heineken USA from 2005-2007. Following that, he served as an independent consultant and senior advisor to The Monitor Group, a global management consulting firm. Andy holds an MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester, and a Bachelor of Science, with a concentration in Marketing, from Bryant University.

Kim Jordan

Co-Founder, Executive Chair, New Belgium Brewing

Kim Jordan

Co-Founder, Executive Chair, New Belgium Brewing

Kim Jordan, co-founder and ex-CEO of New Belgium Brewing, has developed expertise at the intersection of business, the environment and community building to create one of the most respected craft breweries and innovative businesses in America.
Employing humanistic philosophy that is integrated with a systems perspective, tenants of her training in Social Work, Kim has guided and influenced New Belgium’s culture with progressive policies like employee-ownership, open book management, environmental stewardship and philanthropic giving. In her twenty-plus years as an entrepreneur, Kim has had the opportunity to speak in front of thousands of people in the business, nonprofit and academic worlds about how to create a vibrant and rewarding work culture that enhances the company’s bottom line as well as her coworker’s and customer’s lives.
After 25 years of growing and leading New Belgium, 15 as the company’s CEO, Kim is now in the role of Executive Chair of the New Belgium Board of Directors. She’s looking forward to watching her management peers and coworkers take New Belgium into new and exciting territory. Kim continues to be involved in New Belgium at the strategic level and to advocate for progressive business practices while she works with her family at the New Belgium Family Foundation, and relearns how to live at a more relaxed pace.

Robin Ottaway

President, Brooklyn Brewery

Robin Ottaway

President, Brooklyn Brewery

Robin Ottaway is co-owner and President of the Brooklyn Brewery. His relationship to the company began when he first met founder Steve Hindy while living in Egypt, where his father David Ottaway worked alongside Steve as a war correspondent in the Middle East. Robin attended Colby College in Maine before moving to Boston to run the distribution arm of Brooklyn Brewery with his brother, Eric. He later moved to Brooklyn and took over management of the sales team, where his booming laugh and expansive knowledge of the beer industry proved indispensable. In his time managing sales and as President, Robin has overseen the Brooklyn Brewery expand into more than ten new states and over a dozen new countries. He and his family are Brooklyn fixtures; Robin sits on the executive board of the Brooklyn Historical Society, and he and his family are deeply involved in many community events.

Simon Thorpe

CEO, Pabst Brewing Company

Simon Thorpe

CEO, Pabst Brewing Company

Simon is a seasoned beer industry veteran with a deep understanding of the U.S. beer market. Simon joined Pabst as CEO on December 1, 2016. Before joining PBC, Simon was the President & CEO of Duvel Moortgat USA, where he led the transformation of the company’s U.S. craft brewing business into a respected leader in the craft beer segment. He was instrumental in building the high-end success of Duvel Moortgat’s Brewery Ommegang in Upstate New York, and established Duvel Moortgat’s partnerships with Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO and Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles, CA. He also led the development of Duvel Moortgat’s import brand portfolio including Duvel, La Chouffe, Liefmans, and Mardesous.
Prior to joining Duvel Moortgat, Thorpe led various private equity projects in Europe and was formerly head of strategy, M&A and new markets for InBev and President & CEO of InBev USA. His career has spanned beer, support services, art and stationery, food, and personal care categories in the Americas, Europe and Asia, including senior management positions with Compass, Crayola and Kellogg’s. His early career was with Tambrands and Unilever. Thorpe was born and educated in England and has spent 12 years living in Belgium and 19 years in the USA. He resides in Los Angeles, where Pabst is headquartered, with his wife Kati and son Henry.

Meg Gill

Co-Founder, Golden Road Brewing

Bill Covaleski

Founder & Brewmaster, Victory Brewing

Bill Covaleski

Founder & Brewmaster, Victory Brewing

Covaleski plays a creative and pivotal role in leading the overall growth strategy of Victory Brewing
Company. He serves as head design creative for Victory beer brands and culinary collaborations as
well as a driving force behind community engagement. Covaleski and Victory co-founder, Ron
Barchet, serve as brewmasters, providing strategic guidance in the development of new beer brands.
Since its inception in 1996, he assisted in transforming a shuttered Pepperidge Farm factory into a
brewery that serves 37 states and 8 countries along with a 300-seat brewpub. Both the brewery and
the restaurant support the local economy of Chester County, PA with 420 employees. In 2014 a
second brewpub opened in Kennett Square, PA and a new, environmentally friendly 200,000 square
foot brewery was built in Parkesburg, PA enabling Victory to double production. In 2015 the
Parkesburg brewpub opened and self-guided brewery tours began. Under Covaleski and partner
Barchet’s innovative passion, keen industry foresight and perpetual tutelage, Victory is currently
ranked number 28 of the top 50 craft breweries.
Prior to co-founding Victory, he earned a degree from the prestigious Doemens Institute of Munich
Germany, having completed their International Course in Brewing Studies after an invaluable five-year
apprenticeship under German trained Dutch brewmaster, Theo deGroen.
Before pursuing his craft beer dreams, Bill labored as an art director after earning his degree Magna
Cum Laude from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.

Laura Bell

CEO, Bell's Brewery

Laura Bell

CEO, Bell's Brewery

Laura Bell is CEO of Bell’s Brewery, Inc., the seventh largest craft brewery in the United States. A second generation co-owner (Laura was just 2 months old when Larry Bell founded the brewery), she has spent time working various odd jobs when she was younger like gluing labels to bottles and in the Eccentric Café’s kitchen while in high school. Laura officially started working at the brewery full-time in 2007 after graduating from Michigan State University. Since then, she has spent time in sales, all areas of beer production and built the marketing department from the ground up. She now oversees all brewery operations and planning for Bell’s and its sister brewery in Escanaba, Upper Hand Brewery.

Mike Stevens

Co-Founder & CEO, Founders Brewing Company

Mike Stevens

Co-Founder & CEO, Founders Brewing Company

Mike Stevens is a co-founder of Founders Brewing Company and serves as the company’s CEO. Founders is one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the nation, currently ranking among the top 20 largest craft breweries in the United States as of 2016. The brewery has received numerous awards from the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival, and its beers are often rated among the best in the world by RateBeer and BeerAdvocate users. The company has seen its annual barrel output nearly double each of the last seven years while distribution has expanded from seven states to 46. Founders finished 2016 with a total of 347,780 barrels shipped.

Townsend Ziebold

Managing Partner, First Beverage Group

Townsend Ziebold

Managing Partner, First Beverage Group

Townsend developed his love of beverages while at graduate school in Northern California, where he found an appreciation for wine that evolved into a 25-year collector’s history. Prior to joining First Beverage, Townsend spent over 25 years in investment banking and private equity at The First Boston Corporation, Wasserstein Perella & Co., and Wasserstein & Co. He has completed over $40 billion in mergers and acquisitions advisory assignments, and as a principal investor over 30 private equity investments ranging from leveraged buyouts and growth equity to venture capital. In this capacity, he served on numerous private and public company boards of directors. He is a former Director and Non-Executive Chairman of Imax Corporation, a leading large-screen film projection company, and a former Director of two other public companies: Collins & Aikman Corporation, a $2 billion automotive components company, and Maybelline, Inc., a leading mass market cosmetics manufacturer. While at First Beverage, Townsend has advised Firestone Walker in its partnership with Duvel Moortgat, Brooklyn Brewery in its investment from Kirin, Southern Tier in its investment from Ulysses, Boulevard in its sale to Duvel Moortgat, Hop Valley Brewing and Terrapin Beer in their sales to MillerCoors, 10 Barrel Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery, Devils Backbone Brewery and Spiked Seltzer in their sales to ABInBev.

Wynne Odell

Co-Founder, Odell Brewing

Wynne Odell

Co-Founder, Odell Brewing

Wynne Odell is co-founder and CEO of Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, CO. Starting in 1989 with her husband, Doug, and sister-in-law, Corkie, the trio had no grand plans, but after five years of a draft-only format, bottles were introduced and rapid growth ensued. 26 years later, Odell Brewing Company ranks 34th in size among craft breweries in the U.S. Odell is a Colorado-centric company, with 65% of its sales coming from Colorado. With the addition of Texas in 2014, it now distributes in 11 states. Wynne, Doug and Corkie undertook two transactions in July, 2015 that sold the majority of their stock to a combination of an ESOP and a trio of long-term managers. Having chosen legacy over maximum wealth, the three founders sleep well at night. Wynne, Doug and Corkie, along with 3 of their children, remain active at the brewery. Wynne currently chairs the Colorado Brewers’ Guild Board.

Brett Joyce

President, Rogue Ales & Spirits

Brett Joyce

President, Rogue Ales & Spirits

Brett Joyce began his career at Rogue Ales & Spirits in 1989. At age 16 he worked as a keg washer and truck driver. Brett graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon in 1995 with a double major in History and Economics. He worked at Adidas for 10 years, principally in product marketing, and worked at Adidas-Taylor Made Golf in Carlsbad, California where he was Director of Global Golf Footwear. He spent two years at Fila North America, outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where he was General Manager. He eventually “returned” to Rogue in 2006, where he learned the business working along side of his father (Founder & Chief Wisdom Officer, Jack Joyce). Brett was named President in 2007. He is married 16 years to Rhonda, has two daughters -- Lauren (14) and Emily (13) -- and a dog named Rascal.

Alan Newman

President, Alchemy & Science

Alan Newman

President, Alchemy & Science

A serial entrepreneur, Alan Newman's craft beer roots date back to 1993 with the launch of Magic Hat Brewing Company. Newman spent over 17 years at the helm of Magic Hat before turning to new opportunities in the industry. Newman brings his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for craft beer to his latest project, Alchemy & Science (A&S). The company is home to four brewery projects, including Traveler Beer Company, Angel City Brewery, Coney Island Brewing and Concrete Beach Brewery, all with a mission to expand the share of the craft beer nationally.

Amy Gutierrez

Category Manager – Beer, BevMo!

Amy Gutierrez

Category Manager – Beer, BevMo!

Amy Gutierrez, a native Northern Californian, started her beverage career, with Southern Wine & Spirits. The last two years there, she was the BevMo! Category Captain, where she helped open 19 stores. She joined BevMo! in 1997, in the same roll and then transitioned to Assistant Buyer for Food and Hardlines. Amy has always had a passion for beer, and in 2003 was promoted to the Assistant Buyer for beer. Then four years later, was promoted to her current position as Category Manager for Beer. She is responsible for all beer buying in 163 stores, in three states.

Eugene Kashper

Chairman, Pabst Brewing Co.

Eugene Kashper

Chairman, Pabst Brewing Co.

Eugene Kashper is an American beer entrepreneur who acquired a controlling interest in Pabst Brewing Company in 2014. Mr. Kashper lives in Los Angeles where the company is headquartered, and currently serves as Chairman and CEO of PBC.
Upon graduating from Columbia University, Kashper joined Ernst & Young as a consultant in International Business Services. In 1994, he left Ernst & Young to become the Stroh Brewery Company’s first and sole representative in the former Soviet Union. From 1995 to 1998, Kashper co-founded and served as CEO of North Winds Brewing, a beer and beverage import and distribution company based in Moscow, Russia. North Winds exclusively represented some of the brands Pabst owns today such as Strohs, Colt 45, Old Milwaukee, and Schaefer, as well as handling the marketing and distribution of Corona, Perrier, Heineken, Red Bull energy and other beer and beverage brands.
In 1998, Kashper co-founded Ivan Taranov Breweries (ITB) and served as CEO until 2001. ITB grew to include 3 breweries and 23 wholly owned distribution operations in Russia. Kashper also co-founded the Syabr Brewing Company in Belarus and Vlad Pivo, a brewery in the Russian Far East. In 2008, Kashper co-founded Oasis Beverages, which currently has brewing and beverage operations in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
As CEO of Pabst, Kashper has worked to strengthen the company’s sales and distribution and supply chain capabilities, forge new partnerships with high-end brand owners, and take full advantage of the company’s unique portfolio of heritage brands which include such iconic brands as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Lone Star, Old Style, Stroh’s, Rainier, Colt 45 and others. Over the past 24 months Pabst has added 150 employees mainly in the sales and marketing functions, partnered with Small Town Brewery to launch Not Your Father’s Root Beer, become the exclusive importer for Tsingtao, and entered a partnership with Vermont Hard Cider Co., the maker of Woodchuck and other cider brands. Most recently, Pabst collaborated with Dog Tag Brewing Company founder Seth Jordan to launch Legacy Lager. Dog Tag donates 100% of its profits to benefit charities created or selected by Gold Star Families. Recent heritage brand innovations launched by Pabst include Stroh’s Bohemian Pilsner, Rainier Pale Mountain Ale, Ballantine Burton Ale and Old Style Oktoberfest.
Mr. Kashper attended The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and graduated from Columbia University in 1992 with a major in East Asian Languages and Cultures. He is married and has two children.

Lester Jones

Chief Economist, NBWA

Lester Jones

Chief Economist, NBWA

Lester Jones tracks the economic factors that impact the beer distribution industry and alcohol policy decisions at the federal, state and local levels. He evaluates and develops primary industry data, including economic impact, tax impacts, sales and volume data. Jones has more than 20 years of experience in research, survey methodology and applied economics. He previously served as chief economist at the Beer Institute, where he developed and executed significant research initiatives that helped shape America’s beer industry. Jones also has become a respected public speaker, offering in-depth technical, analytical and quantitative expertise. In addition to his decade of work at the Beer Institute, Jones previously worked for Arbitron Company (Nielsen) in Columbia, Maryland, and the Regional Economic Studies Institute in Towson, Maryland. Jones holds a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Delaware as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Dan Kenary

Co-Founder & CEO, Harpoon Brewery

Dan Kenary

Co-Founder & CEO, Harpoon Brewery

Dan Kenary serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mass. Bay Brewing Company, aka, the Harpoon Brewery. Dan graduated from Harvard College in 1982 with a degree in American History then earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1985 while working at the First National Bank of Chicago. Frustrated with the lack of beer options, Dan left the bank in 1986 to co-found Harpoon. Dan has served on the Institute of Brewing Studies Board of Advisors, as director and treasurer of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, a local environmental advocacy organization, president of the Boston Marine Park Business Association, and founding president of the Massachusetts Brewer’s Guild. He currently serves as Chairman of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Commonwealth’s largest employer association. In 2014 Dan led Harpoon through its transition to employee ownership through the creation of the Harpoon Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”). Originally from Worcester, Dan lives in Wellesley with his wife, Julie, and has four children.

Felipe Szpigel

The High End President, Anheuser-Busch InBev

Felipe Szpigel

The High End President, Anheuser-Busch InBev

Felipe Szpigel is president of The High End, with responsibility for the development of the company’s craft and import beer brands in the U.S. market. His portfolio includes Stella Artois, Shock Top and the company’s craft businesses: Goose Island in Chicago; Blue Point in Patchogue, N.Y.; 10 Barrel in Bend, Ore.; Elysian in Seattle; Virtue Cider in Fennville, MI; and Golden Road in Los Angeles. Szpigel is also a member of the company’s North American management committee, who oversee all aspects of the business in the United States and Canada. Before his current position in the U.S. market, Szpigel was vice president of trade marketing for the global parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, in New York. There he led a series of key projects around the world such as the company’s renewed on-premise focus.

Gregory Howard

Director of Beverage Strategy, Yard House Restaurants

Gregory Howard

Director of Beverage Strategy, Yard House Restaurants

Greg began his restaurant career over two decades ago in service and continued into management through multiple concepts eventually landing at Yard House in November of 2005 opening the 13th location. After spending two years in management serving several locations in Southern California he moved into a beverage support role at the home office in 2007 officially taking over the beverage program as Director in September of 2014. Greg and his team currently manage beer, wine, cocktail, sprits and non-alcoholic beverage programing for the 69 Yard House locations in 24 states supporting over 9,100 tap handles nationwide and $36 million dollars in beverage purchasing.

Hugh Sisson

Founder, Heavy Seas Beer

Hugh Sisson

Founder, Heavy Seas Beer

A sixth generation Baltimorean, Hugh J. Sisson has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing. The Founder and Managing Partner of Heavy Seas Beer, Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sisson’s, located in Federal Hill. In the mid-eighties, Sisson, along with the help of Senator George W. Della, Jr., successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation required to open a brew pub in Maryland. With the initiation of pub brewing in Baltimore in 1989, Sisson immersed himself in the development and market recognition of both Sisson's and its beers. In 1994, he left Sisson’s to begin a new venture, Clipper City Brewing Company. Clipper City has been in operation for more than 21 years and markets fine beers – under the brand name of Heavy Seas -- in 18 states, as well as Washington, DC. Sisson is a member of the Brewers Association, is past president for the Brewers Association of Maryland, and a former member of the Master Brewers Association of America. He was founder of the Cross Street Irregulars Home Brew Club, Maryland’s oldest such club, and co-hosts a weekly program on WYPR Radio, Baltimore, entitled Cellar Notes that critiques fine wine and beer.

Bart Watson

Chief Economist, Brewers Association

Christine Perich

Former CEO, New Belgium Brewing

Christine Perich

Former CEO, New Belgium Brewing

Christine Perich serves as the CEO of New Belgium Brewing and is a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
At the end of 2012, she guided the company through a 2nd Stage ESOP transaction, which resulted in New Belgium becoming a 100% employee-owned company BCORP. Perich now has oversight of all day to day operations and the construction and integration of the company’s second production facility in Asheville, North Carolina, which is slated for completion in late 2015.
Christine has been an integral part of New Belgium’s growth and success. When she started at New Belgium in 2000, the company operated a 165,000 barrelage production facility and distributed its products in 7 states. In 2014, New Belgium will produce more than 970,000 barrels and distribute its products in 37 states and throughout Canada and Sweden.

Steve Almaraz

Craft Category Development Director, Reyes Beverage Group

Steve Almaraz

Craft Category Development Director, Reyes Beverage Group

Steve joined Reyes Beverage Group in Aug 2014 to head the craft segment as the Craft Category Director. His various roles include growing the Craft category (spirits, craft beer, and cider), specialty brand education, best practices, National account development, and enhancing brewery business relations for Reyes Beverage Group. Prior to joining Reyes, Steve served as the vice president of sales and marketing for Firestone Walker. In that role, which he assumed in 2001, Steve developed the distribution network and sales team and was influential in the branding and marketing of all Firestone Walker brands. In his 15 years with Firestone Walker, Steve helped grow sales from 6,000 barrels in 1999’ to over 225,000 barrels in 2014.

Craig Purser

President & CEO, NBWA

Craig Purser

President & CEO, NBWA

NBWA President & CEO Craig Purser serves as the leading advocate for the 3,300 licensed, independent beer distributors across the country. In this role, Purser is responsible for the strategic development and tactical execution of the Association's mission in the areas of government, public, industry and political affairs.Under Purser's leadership, NBWA worked with a wide variety of stakeholders to help Congress pass the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act.
A veteran of Capitol Hill and numerous political campaigns, Purser also served on the staff of former U.S. Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles (OK) and managed the successful election of U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (OK).
Purser serves as a Trustee of the Alcohol Beverage Medical Research Foundation (ABMRF), an organization dedicated to supporting research on the effects of alcohol on health, behavior and prevention of alcohol-related problems. He also serves as a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Association Committee of 100, the ASAE's Key Industry Association Committee (KIAC), the Association Executives Council of the National Association of Wholesale- Distributors (NAW) and the Bryce Harlow Foundation's Board of Governors.

Adam Lambert

COO, Storied Craft Breweries

Adam Lambert

COO, Storied Craft Breweries

Adam has spent 20 years in the beverage industry. Prior to Storied Craft Breweries, he worked with three prominent craft brewers, serving as the VP of Sales New Holland Brewery and Distillery for two years and as VP of Sales for Dogfish Head Craft Brewery for seven years. He also spent six years as National Sales and Marketing Manager for Rogue Ales. His past experiences include owning a wine distribution company and beverage brokerage, and he is a long serving member of the Brewers Association. While at Rogue, Adam grew sales of the brand from 28,000 barrels to 78,000 barrels. During his time, the brand expanded distribution to all 50 states and 20 international markets. Rogue's distribution footprint consisted of 125 distributors across 50 states.
Adam also helped grow Dogfish Head from 78,000 barrels to 230,000 barrels. During his time, Dogfish expanded to 30 states with a distributor network of 135 wholesalers.

Jim Sabia

Chief Marketing Officer, Constellation Brands

Jim Sabia

Chief Marketing Officer, Constellation Brands

Jim Sabia is the Chief Marketing Officer of Constellation Brands' Beer Division, overseeing a portfolio of powerhouse brands: Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, Modelo Chelada, Pacifico, Victoria, Ballast Point, Funky Buddha and Tocayo Brewing Company. During Jim’s 8-year tenure with Constellation, the beer portfolio has been the #1 growth driver for the U.S. beer industry. Under his leadership, Corona launched its iconic “Find Your Beach” campaign and Modelo Especial has grown to be the #2 import in the country. Prior to Constellation, Jim was with Molson Coors Brewing Company for 17 years. As Vice President of Marketing and Media at Molson Coors, he was responsible for U.S. marketing of Coors Light and Coors Banquet. Included among his many accomplishments is leading the development and introduction of the highly successful Blue Moon brand. Jim earned his MBA in marketing strategy from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, and his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. He currently lives outside of Chicago with his wife and three sons.

Cheryl Durzy

Founder & CEO, Liberation Distribution, Inc.

Cheryl Durzy

Founder & CEO, Liberation Distribution, Inc.

Cheryl Murphy Durzy has been managing wholesale sales for her family’s 80,000 case winery, Clos LaChance, for over 17 years. She has a full understanding of the industry and issues regarding alcohol distribution in the United States. She is passionate about LibDib and hopes to disrupt the current system by offering all small, family-owned wineries and businesses an opportunity to sell their products to other businesses that want them. Cheryl is truly entrenched in the industry, sitting on several Boards, including the California Sustainable Wine Association and Free the Grapes.

Justin Robinson

Co-Founder, Drizly

Vann Russell

Founder & Managing Partner, Arlington Capital Advisors

Vann Russell

Founder & Managing Partner, Arlington Capital Advisors

Vann Russell is the Founder and Managing Partner of Arlington Capital Advisors. At Arlington, Vann has developed specific expertise in the consumer sector advising on numerous transactions in various industry segments including craft beer, restaurants, retail, franchising, food and beverage, consumer products and education. Prior to founding Arlington Capital Advisors, Vann spent over a decade with the big four accounting firm Deloitte, starting his career in the audit services group working with both public and private companies from $250 million to $2 billion in revenue. Vann solidified his tenure at Deloitte in the tax division working with ultra-high net worth families and large corporations.
Over the course of his career, Vann has also been a successful investor and entrepreneur, investing in, operating and monetizing several private companies beginning with a business he owned and operated while working his way through college. Vann graduated Cum Laude in 1994 from The University of Alabama, Birmingham with a B.S. degree in Accounting, where he was the top accounting student in his class and hired by Deloitte one year prior to his graduation. Vann helped found and currently serves on the board of Neverthirst, a charitable organization focused on making potable drinking water readily available in impoverished and developing countries. Vann also serves on the board of Milo’s Hamburgers.
Vann is an active Certified Public Accountant and holds FINRA Series 79, 62 and 63 licenses.

Alva Mather

Partner & Chair, Alcoholic Beverage Practice Group, Pepper Hamilton

Alva Mather

Partner & Chair, Alcoholic Beverage Practice Group, Pepper Hamilton

Alva Mather is partner and chair of Pepper Hamilton’s Alcoholic Beverage Practice Group and co-chair of the Food and Beverage Practice Group. Alva is a business lawyer, litigator and first-chair trial attorney with more than a decade of experience who has established herself as a leading attorney in matters affecting the highly regulated alcoholic beverage industry. She has advised breweries, distilleries, wholesalers, distributors, and restaurateurs on all aspects of manufacturing, distributing and selling alcohol. Alva is an active writer and speaker and on social media at @alcohollawyer.

Bryant Goulding

Co-Founder, Rhinegeist Brewery

Bryant Goulding

Co-Founder, Rhinegeist Brewery

Bryant Goulding was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Connecticut. He graduated from UConn with an MA in Economics and wrote his thesis on ‘The Economics & Evolution of the Craft Beer Market.’ Goulding worked as supply chain & marketing analytics consultant while living in SF and would eventually quit the consulting world to work in beer sales at Anderson Valley. He also worked for three years with Dogfish Head, managing 18 wholesalers across five states. He then spent six months at Golden Road in LA as the company’s sales director before co-founding Rhinegeist with Bob Bonder in 2013. Goulding currently serves as the VP of sales & marketing for Rhinegeist, overseeing the creative marketing and sales execution aspects of the business.

Darren Rovell

Sports Business Reporter, ESPN

Darren Rovell

Sports Business Reporter, ESPN

Darren Rovell is the sports business reporter for ESPN, where he has covered the beat for the network for 11 years. In this capacity, he writes for ESPN's website and appears on all its shows including "SportsCenter" and "Outside The Lines." He has a vast social media following, most notably his 1.8 million followers on Twitter. Rovell, who won an Emmy Award for his work on NBC's 2008 Election coverage during his six-year stint with business channel CNBC, has been involved with the food and beverage world for more than a decade. He wrote a book on Gatorade called "First In Thirst" and is a partner in Tastemaster Capital, which invests in early stage food and beverage companies.

Stay at the Famous Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel

Brewbound Live takes place at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Enjoy the SoCal weather, magnificent sunsets, views of the Santa Monica Pier, and superior accommodations at the famous beachfront hotel. A discounted room block will be made available for registered attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. Registering now grants you first access to the room block when it is made available.

Past Attendees

Summer 2017 Conference Highlights

Recent Announcements

Brewbound’s Startup Brewery Challenge has a new name. Up-and-coming brands from across the brewing industry will take the Brewbound Live stage on November 27th and 28th in Santa Monica, California, to compete in the reimagined Pitch Slam competition, sponsored by Craft Brew Alliance. Here’s what’s new.

Brewbound, a leading trade publication covering the beer industry, today announces that it will host a two-day business conference for professionals in the beer, cider, and flavored malt beverage industries. Called Brewbound Live, the expanded event – formerly known as Brewbound Session -- will take place at the Loews Hotel on November 27 and 28 in Santa Monica, California.

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Questions?

If you have questions about the conference, or would like to submit a speaker, please contact us! A Brewbound team member will respond shortly with the requested information.